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Spotted seatroutShoulder seasonBar · Virginia
York Spit
37.23°N · 76.28°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 306 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when York Spit scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
22Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.8 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spotted seatrout is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
York Spit
- Depth
- 20-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing York Spit
York Spit is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mobjack Bay58
Bay · 4.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Scup 56
- Spanish mackerel 51
15 kt NEH 7:12 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:23 PM · 1.2 ft
- Poquoson Flats57
Flat · 3.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Spot 54
- Summer flounder 52
15 kt NEH 7:26 AM · 2.3 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.6 ft
- Marsh Point55
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 55
- Little tunny 54
- Scup 51
15 kt NEH 7:16 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- New Point Comfort53
Cape · 5.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 53
- Spot 53
- Little tunny 52
15 kt NEH 7:06 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:28 PM · 0.6 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with VMRC before you keep a fish.
